3 benefits to winning the NL East instead of the Wild Card

It’s been an excellent season for the New York Mets. If all works out by the end, it could be the second-best regular season in franchise history! We know the Amazins’ are well on their way to a playoff spot but where they end up in the standings could be the difference between them hoisting the World Series Trophy or not.

Nothing has come easy for the team from Queens. Even with one of the best records in baseball, they are still battling for division supremacy with their heated rivals, the Atlanta Braves. It is so close that the fate of the division could come down to the wire, it could come down to the final days of the season.

For the Mets, it is very beneficial to win the NL East instead of settling for a Wild Card spot.

Winning the division gives the Mets much-needed rest. We’ve seen over the last month how much of a toll this season has taken on this team. Mets superstars Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, who have barely had a day off have started to fade down the stretch. Not to mention all the injuries that have been sustained throughout the season.

The Mets could use a couple of days to recharge their batteries. With the season starting late due to the lockout, the Mets off days were limited. They played an excessive amount of doubleheaders this season and had one of the toughest stretches to get through in August in a 2-week span with no days off.

With the new playoff format, the Wild Card round is now a 3 game series to be played at the home park of the team with a higher seed. As much as that would benefit the Mets, it's still a crap shoot. Yes, the Mets have the two best pitchers in baseball, literally 2 aces, but anything could happen on any given day in any given series. That’s baseball!

On top of that let’s say the Mets do win the Wild Card Series. They would most likely be at a disadvantage for the Division Series because they would not be throwing Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer in games 1 & 2 (if the series goes 3 games you can include Chris Bassitt on that list). 

You want your best pitchers not only to start off a series but to be available for multiple starts during that series.

Lastly, the Mets winning the NL East means that they will most likely avoid having to play both the Braves and Dodgers. As a matter of fact, the Dodgers and Braves would play each other in the divisional round (if the Braves win the Wild Card Series).

Both teams are huge threats to preventing the Mets from winning their 6th NL Pennant and I prefer them battling it out, and tiring each other out before either face the Mets.

Nothing is a given and it won’t be easy for the New York Mets trying to win the World Series for the 3rd time in franchise history but winning the NL East gives them their best chance to do so this postseason.